One of the most overwhelming parts of having babies (outside of the actual delivery process) was studying up on all of the different baby gear and deciding what to purchase. There are just so many options for every single baby item, right down to the diapers. While I was pregnant, we did extensive research for every item that we needed. Now that we are two weeks in, some shining stars have emerged while some items have been deemed completely unnecessary.
For example, we got so many muslin swaddles only to find out that the twins bust out of them no matter how tightly we wrap them. We found these velcro swaddles instead and love that they are wiggle-proof and affordable. We also splurged on two Snoos, but our night nurse recommended that we try to teach the babies to sleep naturally. We may try to put the luxury bassinets to use later, but for now, they have adapted to sleeping on Dockatots on our coffee table or in the Snoos in off mode. I wish we would have at least done the rental option first, but at least they look cute in our apartment(?!). Keep scrolling for a list of the top 15 baby gear items we couldn’t live without.
twin feeding pillow
This is the ultimate lifesaver for feeding the twins. The double u shaped pillow can be strapped around my body, so I can breastfeed both babies at the same time in the football hold. You can also toss it on the bed, prop them both up and bottle feed them. I’m learning very quickly that eating together is crucial with twins. If they ate one at a time, I’d spend my entire day doing feedings.
zip & magnetic onesies
We bought and received so many cute baby clothes for getting the twins dressed up—like knit outfits and matching sets—but these cheap and cheerful zip-up onesies by Carter’s are perfect for the day-to-day life of being a baby. You realize pretty quickly that there’s no time for snapping snaps when it comes to changing babies’ diapers and outfits all day and all night. We also love Magnetic Me’s snap-free onesies for their innovative magnetic closures and fun prints.
Deluxe+ Stage 1
Everyone raves about how handy Dockatots are, but you don’t realize how true this is until you actually put them to use. While the twins sleep in their bassinets at night, it’s much easier to put them down on their Dockatots on our coffee table during the day. This allows us to keep a close eye on them while they’re asleep, and binge-watch Emily in Paris at the same time. Win, win.
vista 2 twin travel set
We heard so many people say that this is the Ferrari of strollers, and I’m so glad we splurged on this set for the twins. Strolling them around our neighborhood when they are fussy has already become a lifeline for our sanity. They fall asleep almost as if it’s magic. This Vista set takes on the bumps and cobblestone streets of NYC with ease, has great storage space underneath and comes with all of the seating they need for the foreseeable future (bassinets, rumble seats and car seats). Lastly, the green color and cognac leather handle are just seriously chic.
Velcro Swaddles
We had a bit of a saga with swaddling the first week the twins were home. They are so small that we couldn’t keep them from breaking out of the muslin swaddles, no matter how tightly we wrapped them. I love these velcro ones because they are very affordable and super easy to wrap snuggly (even for swaddling amateurs like us!). Lots of other moms recommended the Ollie and the Halo swaddles too, so check those out if you’re on the hunt for a swaddle that works for you and your baby(ies).
Boob Baby Bottle
We tested out the Dr. Brown’s bottles and quickly realized there are just one too many parts to clean for us to keep up with for twins. We also tried the Comotomos, and found them really easy to use and the twins seemed to like them. We landed on these by Joovy in the end, because they came highly recommended by our night nurse (who has over 25 years of experience taking care of babies!). They only have 4 easy parts to clean too, so everybody’s winning.
Dutch Stage 1 Infant Milk Formula
Since I had a c-section, my milk has taken a bit of time to fully come in. Our night nurse recommended that we use this organic formula to supplement my breastmilk in the meantime. Thankfully, the twins have had an easy time switching between it and the real thing so far. They surpassed their birth weight at their two-week appointment with this combination. I’m no expert, but this is good enough for me!
Bottle Drying Rack
We laid bottles and pump parts on the counter to dry for the first couple of days we were home from the hospital, and I quickly realized we needed a better solution. Insert: this great drying rack. It has space at the top for all of the smaller parts to dry, plus pegs to hang bottles, nipples, and pump parts. I’m all about attempting to keep our home organized within reason, even in the midst of the newborn chaos.
Changing Tray
We put this changing tray with this changing pad on top of the dresser in our bedroom to create an area to do diaper changes without adding any new furniture to our one bedroom apartment. This setup is working really well for us, and the tray can easily be moved to the living room during the day when we have them take naps in the main space with us.
Diaper Pail
We like this diaper pail a lot, because it locks the smell in throughout the day. Need I say more? It also works with regular trash bags, instead of specialized ones, which was an important requirement for us. Nobody has time for stocking two types of trash bags, am I right? Of course, I also like that it’s pretty easy on the eyes in our bedroom space.
Changing Pad Liners
These waterproof liners are so simple and affordable but are absolute life savers. We lay them on our changing pad so that if anyone decides to pee while we are changing them we can minimize the mess. I started with one pack of these and have since bought three extra packs because we go through them frequently with over 20 diaper changes per day (!!).
Activity Mat
I love that this activity mat is plush and comfortable for the twins to start doing tummy time on, without being an absolute eyesore on our living room floor. I know I will need to get bright, primary-colored toys for them soon, but for now, this is doing the trick. Penelope even rolled from her tummy to her back the other day on it, so it must be a good luck charm.
Baby Monitor
I love the Nanit baby monitor because the app makes it really easy to toggle between viewing Felix and Penelope’s bassinets. The cameras come with freestanding stands, which we are using now in our bedroom, and eventually, they can be mounted on the wall when we have space for a nursery. They track the room temperature and humidity, plus the twins’ sleeping times and wake up times. Lastly, the picture quality is great for stalking them from the next room over.
Burp Cloths
We get through so. many. burp. cloths. I love this 5-pack by Burt’s Bees, because it makes it easy to stock up and the patterns are really cute. I ordered ours on Amazon and have already re-ordered them a couple of times since we brought the twins home. More is definitely more in this department.